Promoting inclusive rural development should be a major strategy to break the vicious cycle of hunger and conflict in the theCentral African Republic, says a new study.

The report by the Action Against Hunger USA, urged the CAR government to promote rural, agricultural and pastoral development in the country, and the international community to provide technical and financial support.

Nearly 50% of the total population, 2.1 million people, are affected by food insecurity in the country, where agriculture, pastoralism and agropastoralism are the main livelihoods for 75% of the population.

“Hunger fuels conflict and conflict fuels hunger: this is the vicious cycle resulting from the collapse of the country’s structures and the breakdown of its social bonds,” says the NGO.

While conflict has been going on for decades, 80% of the territory is now controlled by various armed groups.

“With its current types of intervention, humanitarian aid in the Central African Republic is unable to address the structural foundations of the crisis,” it said.

“…Any response to breaking the cycle of hunger and conflict simultaneously addresses the issues of food insecurity, decapitalisation and the orientation towards a wartime economy.”